


Neverland

by Rowdyroughboi



Category: Debasement14
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Fairy AU, Kidnapping, Macro/Micro, Multi, Pirate AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:21:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26829559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rowdyroughboi/pseuds/Rowdyroughboi
Summary: A pirate ship is no place for a fairy, but not every little brownie has a choice in the matter.
Relationships: D/Original Male Character, D/Self-Insert
Comments: 5
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very self-indulgent fic featuring what is essentially a pirate version of my artsona with Debasement's tiny fae. I've got a sorta _plot_ in mind for it, though, so be prepared for several chapters of just me hyperfixating on this.

In the depths of the forest, where the moonlight danced on the rocks of a running stream and the mushrooms grew in perfect little rings, there lived the fae.

They were a widely varied folk, each more interesting than the last. Wisps would tiptoe in the darkest corners of the forest, collected in groups of four or five as they blindly lead one another. Pixies giggled softly in the tall grass, narrowed beady eyes honed in on their next victims. Nymphs slipped languidly into pools of water clear enough to look like diamonds, their hushed whispers fading into the wind. It was a beautiful sight, no matter what direction one looked.

Among these mythical creatures lived the brownies, one in particular of special interest. He was a small little thing - Enough to fit into the palm of your hand. Wings spouted from his back, silky smooth and a greyish white, like a moth. Curls of hair cascaded out of his head, framing chubby cheeks, often filled with whatever sweets the tiny thing could get his fingers on. A tail protruded from the base of his back, long and constantly curling around whatever he could get ahold of it with.

The most fascinating part about him, however, was the small mask he wore, perfectly formed to his face like it was a part of him. Owl-like tuffs poked out from the top of his head, leaning forward over the edge of the mask as if eternally intrigued by whatever new sight seemed to catch his fancy. A thin line was etched into the surface of the mask to mimic a mouth, starting at the eyes and smoothly curling inward until it met at a sharp point just above his chin. There were no eye holes on the small mask, instead the eyes on it of the same material as the rest of the article. He could see perfectly fine even without the feature, though one sometimes had to wonder with how prone he was to running into things out of inattention.

This little brownie lived in a small alcove in a tree on the edges of the forest, his tiny home filled to the brim with little trinkets and treasures he'd collected over the years. During the highest hours of the day, the sun would pass perfectly on the nest, twinkles of light painting over everything. He could always be found here at this time, his face buried in soft things and his small cheeks ready to burst with all the sweet honey he'd shoved into it.

He was just laying amidst his treasures when a smooth voice cleared it's throat, making him blink and look over to see what the noise was all about, a curious chirp coming out of him.

" _ Hello, little one. _ " The voice was connected to another fae, tall and elegant and overpowering in all the ways that the little brownie simply was  _ not _ . They were a set, the two of them. The little brownie did not much know how, but he knew they were connected - Even beyond their eerily shared appearances. They were like one soul housed in two bodies and the brownie felt his skin  _ sing _ whenever the towering figure of the high fae made his appearance, his tiny heart swelling with warmth and comfort at being so close.

He rolled to the edges of his nest, leaning out towards the high fae and chirping excitedly. The taller creature let out a soft chuckle and leaned down to touch their noses together, much to the pleasure of the brownie.

" _ I'm happy to see you as well, _ " the high fae hummed, leaning back from the mouth of the Brownie's nest once they'd shared their brief greeting. He continued to lay where he had settled, resting on his stomach and kicking his feet back and forth, his wings fluttering slightly in excitement. " _ I came to check on you, specifically. I have felt a shift; Something is going to happen and I wanted to see that you were okay _ ."

The brownie made a soft squeak of confusion, earning himself a shake of the high fae's head. " _ I do not know what the origin of the disturbance is, yet. I sense that it is coming from outside the forest, though. I fear it may be  _ **_them_ ** _. _ "

The brownie perked up in surprise at the news.  _ Them _ , as he knew, referred to the beings who lived outside the forest - Huge creatures who  _ looked _ kinda like some of the witches that had made a home for themselves in the forest's embrace but, unlike them, the ones who lived out there _ didn't _ possess any kind of magic. They seemed to live without the hum of connection to the earth and to each other the way that the fae had.

For many, this fact had caused an awful lot of distrust from the fae; After all, how could any being unable to  _ feel _ the way they did ever be expected to empathise with another life and with the land of which they all lived. Encounters with them were rare, but when one of them  _ did _ pass over the forest's threshold, it  _ rarely _ ended well.

But the little brownie had never met one of them  _ personally _ , and he was too simple a creature to think of such concerns. Mostly, he just felt  _ pity _ for them, being all alone out there without the hum of connection to the world around you. How tragically  _ lonely _ that sounded to him.

" _ I am worried for your safety, _ " the high fae continued, leaning onto the tree that the brownie leaned inside. " _ Your nest is... Awfully close to the edges. If  _ **_they_ ** _ are coming, you are in danger staying here. _ "

The brownie gave a short whine, his brows furrowing in worry. The high fae cooed back to assuage his fears. " _ There is no need to fret, little one. I am sure you will be perfectly fine... But just in case, I think you should come and stay with me for a few evenings. _ "

The high fae had his own home much further into the forest, well beyond the likes of which any of  _ them _ would ever dare to wander. He had expressed concern for how close the brownie lived to the edges in the past, but no amount of gentle prodding could ever convince the little thing to join him in its safe embrace; There were simply not enough treasures that deep into the forest to satisfy him.

The brownie considered the request, but even before he'd answered the high fae knew what it would be. He made a sad little noise, reaching out and taking a hold of one of the little trinkets he'd collected, holding a weather-worn ring to his chest and making wide, teary eyes at the high fae.

He didn't want to leave his nest.

" _ I thought you might say that, _ " the high fae chuckled, softly. " _ I respect your choice, little one, but you  _ **_must_ ** _ promise me you will be careful. I have a very bad feeling. _ "

The little brownie chirped his agreement, quick and bright enough that it lifted another laugh from the high fae. The two of them carried on with their visit as normal after that, settling at the base of the brownie's tree at some point and simply enjoying each other's company. He ended up curled up against the high fae's neck at some point, lapping honey off the tips of his fingers. The sun was beginning to set by the time the high fae was pressed to leave, once more giving his warning to his smaller counterpart.

" _ Take care, little one. I will see you in the morrow. _ "

The brownie waved goodbye as he disappeared between the trees. The night settled quickly after he left, the usual moans of frogs and singing of the cicadas acting as a lullaby.

Sleepiness crept up on him, the brownie moving to fluff up his bed. A small yawn passed over his lips, high and squeaky. He was tired enough that he almost didn't notice the sudden shift in the world outside, his brows furrowing at the sudden feeling that crept up his spine.

_ Outsider _ . Something had entered the forest.

The brownie crept to the edges of his nest, hesitantly peering outside to see if anything could be seen of these invaders. He laid low in his nest, wings pulled flat against his back. 

He saw their lights before he saw them, the hushed whispers they passed between each other carrying far more than he figured they'd like. A yellow glow was quickly approaching and the whispers suggested multiple people, though  _ how many _ he couldn't quite tell. The brownie had been so sure that he'd be fine when he'd spoken with the high fae earlier, but laying here on his own with entities of  _ some kind _ fast approaching, he wished he'd taken the request. If nothing else, it certainly would have been less scary if his counterpart had been here.

After what seemed like ages, the intruders burst out from the trees, filling up the clearing that the brownie's home overlooked. He held his breath as four men took up the clearing, decked in dirty - albeit, brightly colored - clothes. They fanned out from each other, each swinging around a lantern with a small flame inside. The brownie hadn't even had the chance to fully take  _ them _ in when the fifth and final member of their party took to the scene.

He was a moderately tall man, no doubt aided by the sizeable heels on his boots. A heavy coat was pulled over his shoulders, elegant and long enough to nearly reach the floor. A large hat rested on the back of his head, a single rose decal on the front of it. The feathery extension coming off the back of it fluffy enough that it lit up a sense of desire to touch it only held back by the brownie's current fear of these strangers. He was mostly well-groomed, but with that slight messy edge to it, like a man just a  _ little _ too busy to invest the kind of vanity he might like on it. A masquerade mask sat on his nose and hid away his eyes, the tips of it pulling into sharp points. He was decorated in a modest amount of jewelry, but each one was in a  _ pristine _ condition and the brownie felt his mouth water at the rings in particular; Bands of clean metal, some of them set with beautiful gemstones. The stranger had an air about him of confidence and authority, easily convincing one by his state of dress and the way he held himself that  _ he _ was their leader. 

All of those thoughts were gone, however, when the brownie realized that he was  _ sparkling _ .

He'd never heard of a person  _ sparkling _ before! He didn't even know people could  _ do that _ ! Even in the dark of the night, he seemed to have a certain shine about him that drew one's eyes, twinkling back the light of the lantern he held high in one hand to look over his men.

"Bring me whatever you find," he hissed, getting nods and small affirmations from his men. "And don't  _ mess with anything _ if it ain't a fairy. Last time I brought an idiot to a magical forest and the stupid bastard nearly got us killed kicking out a mushroom ring."

The brownie paused in the instinctual climb out of his nest, remembering that  _ no _ . He  _ couldn _ 't go around touching the sparkly person; The man was a  _ threat _ , no doubt the same one that his counterpart had come to warn him of, earlier. If he'd been a wiser creature, he'd have tucked himself in the farthest depths of his nest, where the burly people would be unable to reach him, but... The strange sparkly man was  _ awfully _ nice to look at and he was  _ probably _ safe enough as is. 

The men started fanning out, their voices trailing off as they worked. As expected, most of the fae had hidden the moment they'd arrived, feeling their disturbances flicker through the forest the same as the brownie had.

The leader hovered back as his men bumbled forward, looking over the clearing with a contemplative look passing over his features. After a minute he set the lantern to hang of a nearby branch, eyes casually scanning around him as he pulled something out of his pocket.

He peeled back the wrapper slowly and  _ immediately _ the brownie was hit with the smell, a sharp gasp coming out of him.

_ Chocolate.  _ The man had brought  _ chocolate _ .

It was a rare delicacy in the forest, really only brought in by the witches. The little brownie had had it a few times, practically bending over backwards for the witches to get it. 

His gasp, however small it had been, was not small enough. The man looked in his direction, his gaze focused and intense. The brownie froze in place, scared that even a slight movement might alert the stranger to his presence. 

Slowly, the man reached up for his lantern, taking it one hand and holding out the chocolate in the other, as if to offer it.

"Hello, hello, little fairies," he cooed, sweety. It had a certain cadence to it that might have assuaged the brownie, if not for the sharp teeth the man sported, stark white and very threatening under the flickering lantern flame. It was like staying down a wolf, knowing that it would not hesitate to eat you the moment that you lowered your defenses.

"You needn't be afraid," he continued, walking with careful slow steps in the direction he'd heard the small gasp from. "I know what you might think, but I mean you no ill will - I come bearing gifts." He waved the chocolate a little bit, the brownie following it with his eyes, longingly. 

So caught up was he in the temptation that he didn't seem to notice when the light of the lantern seemed to fall over him and his nest. The man almost looked  _ surprised _ to see him just sitting there on the edge of his nest; A look reflected by the fairy's own features. He seemed to react first, zipping out of his spot and flying to the furthest point of his little alcove. 

The man seemed to recover after that, moving quickly to put up a hand up in a sign of good will. " _ Oh _ ! Don't be afraid; Here."

He broke off a small piece of the chocolate, setting it on the edge of the mouth of his nest and taking a tiny step back to lure the brownie into a sense of security. The brownie hesitantly eyed the chocolate, uncertainly.

"It's not gonna hurt you," the man promised. "I  _ just  _ took it out of the wrapper.  _ Here _ ." He held up the bar and took a small nibble of the corner of it to show it was safe to eat. The brownie still felt uncertain about this, but if the man himself would eat it, surely it couldn't have been  _ dangerous _ , right?

With all the care that someone would have approaching a hissing snake, the brownie inched back across his nest, collecting the tiny triangle of chocolate into his arms and retreating back a few steps. 

"There's a good boy," the man hummed, carefully watching the brownie delve into the chocolate. As he'd expected it tasted  _ heavenly _ , melting on his tongue and even a little on his fingers as he nibbled away at it. "How  _ cute _ you are... Would you like another one?" 

He broke off another piece and held it up, temptingly. The brownie eyed it, his current piece momentarily forgotten for the promise of another. He reached out a small hand in the direction of the stranger, earning himself a low chuckle.

"Apparently so." The stranger cautiously approached, holding out the tiny piece of chocolate to the fairy. He greedily took it, small hands briefly grazing over the man's gloves as he did. The man retreated once he had handed it over, although this time he stayed hovering next to the tree. "Do you have a name, little one?"

The brownie gave a chirp in response, earning himself a smirk from the man. "Ah, not one of the talking ones, huh? Convenient." With the fairy distracted, the man was able to work silently beside him, tipping the candle out of the lantern and crushing the small flame it produced on the grass beneath the heel of his boot.

The brownie looked up at his comment, confused. In that very moment, the hand came back, gripping him in a firm hold. He started squeaking in panic, wing fluttering in an attempt to break free and fly away.

His struggling and yelling seemed to be for naught, however, when the little brownie was thrown roughly into the now empty shell of the lantern, his back hitting the glass on the far side of the makeshift cage and knocking the breath out of him. He mewed in distress as the opening latched shut, stumbling as the lantern was brought up to the man's face. 

It was darker now, without the light from the candle, but the stranger still caught the moonlight with his peculiar sparkling nature, a sharp, toothy smile pulled over his face as he took a bit of the remaining chocolate, seemingly indifferent to the brownie's distress.

"Aw; now don't  _ fret _ , little fairy" he cooed, mockingly. He jingled the lantern shell a little, tossing the tiny creature around in the small space. He let out high-pitched little shrieks, heavy tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "You're going to have a nice new home with my employer,  _ whatever _ they're planning on doing with you."

He grew disinterested with the brownie after that, movie away from the glass to call out to his men. "Fellas! I've got one!" 

As he headed back towards the clearing, the other men all came stumbling out after him, relighting the area with their still lit lanterns. They crowded around the brownie as the man showed him off triumphantly, looking all the while like a cat that had just caught the canary.

In some ways, perhaps he really was.

"Come on!" The man snapped after a moment, cutting off their crude jokes on the brownie's behalf and nodding towards the direction they'd first emerged from. "We need to leave now before others show up.  _ Move _ !"

The men didn't need to be told twice, stumbling over each other to file out of the forest as quickly as possible. The realisation that they would be taking him away from his home, from his  _ nest _ , sparked another wave of distress over the little fairy and he started squealing out once again, banging on the glass as fat tears poured down his face. 

His cries went ignored by the men, who made quick work of leaving the forest. The tiny brownie stared longingly back as they stepped out into the clearings just beyond it, practically ready to burst with the overwhelming sense of loss and regret that fell over him. He wished now that he'd heeded his counterpart's warning; had let himself be convinced away from his treasures for just  _ one _ night, instead of possibly forever. 

It was too late, now, though. He was a prisoner, leaving behind everything he'd ever known against his will, and however long he had left, he knew his life would never be the same.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a bit I've been struggling trying to decide how to fill the rest of the roles in this story when I only really have two characters to work with. After some deliberation, I think I'm _probably_ just going to make some OCs for the sake of this story, but I am still very open and interested to let other people have their own sonas inserted into it as well, so if you want in on the action you should feel free to lemme know!!

It had been a bit before they'd made their way to what the little brownie could assume was their final destination. He'd fallen asleep at some point during the trip, having worn himself out from all the excitement. When he'd awoken, it'd been to darkness, a thick cloth laid over the lantern shell to hide the outside world from him. He made a few sad chirps when he'd woken up, but the noises went ignored, so he'd elected to just lay back down and weep, curled up in a tight ball with his wings wrapped over him. All around them, unfamiliar noises hit his senses; gone were the frogs and cicadas, replaced instead by carts and the chatter of many of the strange creatures that'd taken him from his home. The sound of moving water carried over the jingle of his small sob, but it was so much  _ more _ than he was used to, added to in part by the heavy smell of salt and fish. Everything was so  _ overwhelming _ compared to the quaint little forest he was  _ used to _ .

Shouting started up around him at some point and he peeked his head out from between his arms, hoping to see the origin of it even though the darkness was still settled over his current confines. The voice of the stranger he'd interacted with earlier carried through the glass to him and he tried to focus in on it, his head tilted upward.

"Get the ship ready! I want us out of this dock by the hour!"

"Did you get it, Captain?"

"No. I just decided to show the fairies  _ mercy _ this once; Of _ course _ , I got it, idiot! Now, do your job!"

A number of voices crackled out in laughter, as if they'd found the Captain's quip  _ particularly  _ funny. The sounds of footsteps changed, as if they'd stepped into a new type of material - Wood, instead of stone - and they began an ascent upward. The journey passed by a number of voices shouting out at each other, things tossed back and forth between them and a number of shadows dancing over the brownie. The steady click of heels accented the entire journey, breaking through everything like a drum announcing his doom.

All of it suddenly came to a halt when a door slammed behind them, drastically reducing all the noise and a fraction of the heavy ocean atmosphere. The lantern was finally set down, at which point the brownie was really able to feel the steady rock beneath his feet. 

The cloth laid out over his prison was pulled off, revealing a neat, if not cluttered cabin. He’d been set out on a desk, right on top of a large map with elegant swirly letters written all over it. A single black feather pen sat a few paces away, resting in an inkwell. A handful of gold coins were tossed haphazardly over the surface next to him and his eyes were immediately drawn to them, curious interest spared for the valuable metal.

“You still alive in there, little fairy?” A tap came to the side of the lantern shell, the brownie looking over to see the stranger from the forest knelt down to peer inside.The brownie just stared back at him, his expression miserable and angry. The Captain chuckled, rising back up to his full height and moving away from the desk, shucking the coat off his shoulders as he went. “Good, good. Our employer promised more if we brought one back alive.”

The fairy chirped, inquiry painted over his features at the comment. He hadn’t much had an idea of  _ why _ he’d been kidnapped when it’d happened, the stress of the whole ordeal preventing such line of questioning. If he’d had spared a moment to wonder, he’d have assumed the Captain had been invested in some kind of magics, hoping to tap into the fae’s innate energies in some way. It was hard to imagine what a  _ sailor _ might want with such a thing, but it hadn’t exactly been the brownie’s prerogative to speculate on that until now. 

The word of an  _ employer _ raised concerns - The anxiety of wondering if a life kept captive on a ship at the behest of  _ this _ stranger wasn’t in store for him... What  _ was _ ? Who would he soon be at the mercy of and what could  _ their _ intentions for him be?

The Captain ignored the chirp, putting his coat up on one of the hooks set along the wall by the door. “I can’t wait until we can just get this job over with, already. If it were up to  _ me _ , I wouldn’t have one of your kind within a hundred miles of my ship... But there aren’t a lot of people smart enough to know  _ how  _ to catch a fairy and stupid enough to  _ actually do it _ . Any job that covers the cost of the drinks and isn’t going to get the navy on my ass is a job worth doing, I suppose.”

He popped open a cupboard, rummaging around and pulling out a bottle by the neck. He tilted his head slightly to inspect the liquid inside, sloshing it back and forth, before shrugging and swinging the cupboard closed, the door bouncing once before settling back as it had been before it’d been disturbed the first time. 

The Captain settled in a nearby chair, high-backed and carved with elegant designs. His feet kicked up onto the desk, jostling the lantern shell slightly and sending the brownie tumbling into the side of it. He squeaked out in objection to the rough treatment, the other finally sparing him a look. A slight grin curled over his lip as he popped the top off of the bottle, sending it to the floor.

“ _ Whoops _ ,” he cooed, not sounding all that apologetic in the slightest. “My bad.” He brought the bottle to his lips, taking a hearty swig of the liquid inside. His nose crinkled slightly as it went down, but he seemed satisfied enough with it, all the same. He set the bottle aside to address the map the fairy had been set on top of, muttering softly to himself as he traced his fingers along the surface of it. He went back for more of the bottle as he worked. 

He didn’t know what exactly the Captain was drinking, but  _ clearly _ it was something worth having, for how he indulged in it. Even as miserable a captive as he was, the brownie was a simple creature with simple desires. Whatever that was,  _ he wanted it _ .

The brownie banged on the glass of the lantern, suddenly speaking up after a short period of observant silence.The Captain glanced up, almost  _ surprised _ by the interruption. The brownie let out another chirp, a palm pressed towards the bottle and looks spared back and forth between it and the man.

“You want some?” he asked, a brow raised as he tried to interpret the fairy’s charades. He earned himself an affirmative squeak back, the fairy bouncing slightly on his toes. The Captain simply blinked at him a moment before his head tipped back and he  _ laughed _ , bringing the bottle to his lips in the midst of the sharp sound and drowning it out with another drink.

The brownie settled a little more in place. Wide, sad eyes stared as the Captain put the bottle back to the side and returned once more to his work. “Only working men get to drink on  _ my _ ship, kid, and seeing as you’re a  _ captive _ and not a crewmember, I imagine this is going to be a  _ very _ dry journey for you.”

The brownie let out a yelp in objection, stomping his foot in a display of irritation. The Captain merely scoffed at the dramatic display, not even bothering to look up this time as the brownie started chewing him out.

“ _ Hush _ , you little pest,” he hissed, rapping one of his knuckles against the side of the shell and sending the brownie stumbling back a few paces in surprise. “I don’t need this job  _ that _ badly; If you keep acting up, I will not hesitate to feed you to Sir Tabby Belch.”

Before the brownie could have much of a chance to wonder who  _ that _ was, a loud _ mew _ broke out from below the desk and the Captain leaned back to see the origin of it, his head tilted slightly to one side.

“Ah.” The Captain pulled his feet from the desk, leaning down and out of sight. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”

Another mew broke the air and the Captain reemerged with its source in tow. A dark grey, almost black tabby cat made himself at home in the man’s lap, purring loudly as he was scratched firmly behind the ears. The brownie tilted his head to one side at the creature, something  _ off _ about him, but he could hardly determine  _ what _ . The cat merely stared back at him, eyes partially closed into coy and mischievous slits. 

The Captain cooed at him, shifting to settle the cat beside the lantern shell. He went to lay across the map, tail swishing back and forth as he considered the brownie still trapped inside. The Captain settled one last pet on the top of his head before moving to stand, taking the bottle with him as he went. “See to it that our captive doesn’t cause any trouble, Sir Tabby. You’ve my full permission to have him as a snack if he does.”

The cat meowed in response, earning a slight chuckle from the Captain. He headed for the door, snatching up his coat on his way out, sparring not even a look back as the door closed harshly behind him. The brownie huffed out a sad breath, a sideways look spared to the cat as he slid down to sit on the floor of his prison. The feline just continued to stare, green unblinking eyes observing him. He shifted uncomfortably in place, worried that the Captain might make good on his promise to make cat dinner out of him, yet.

A pout pulled at his bottom lip, the brownie curling up with his legs against his chest and his arms on his knees. Wherever they were going and whatever fate was in store for him in the future, the brownie knew one at least one thing for certain; 

He had  _ quite _ the long journey ahead of him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still doing a bunch of set up chapters but _hey_! At least there is a cat in the story now lol


End file.
